November 2010

11/29/2010

Three of the largest wireless carriers in the United States have teamed up to turn your mobile phone into a wallet. We know you've probably heard that before, but the promise of NFC - Near Field Communications - might just make Isis a reality:

Rival carriers Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile will be working together to create a “national commerce network that aims to fundamentally transform how people shop, pay and save,” the three announced Nov. 16.

The venture, called Isis, relies on smartphones and NFC (near-field communications), which uses short-range, high-frequency wireless technology to pass encrypted information between devices. In countries such as Japan, consumers have used such a service—which essentially turns one’s smartphone into a wallet—for several years now.

Michael Abbott, formerly with GE Capital, has been tapped to lead Isis, which is expected to roll out its service to “key geographic markets” over the next 18 months.

“Our mobile commerce network, through relationships with merchants, will provide an enhanced, more convenient, more personalized shopping experience for consumers,” Abbott said in a statement. “While mobile payments will be at the core of our offering, it is only the start. We plan to create a mobile wallet that ultimately eliminates the need for consumers to carry cash, credit and debit cards, reward cards, coupons, tickets and transit passes.”

11/16/2010

Mass Text Messaging goes by more than one name. If you're here you might have been trying to learn more about Mass SMS or Mass Texting. We're talking about the same thing. So what is it? Mass Text Messaging is an affordable -- and dramatically effective -- form of mobile marketing. Mass Text Messaging is the process of sending the same message to many recipients.

Before the advent of software platforms like TellMyCell, you could have done this one by one on your own phone. Aside from being an incredible waste of time, it is most likely against the terms of your contract to send commercial marketing messages from your personal mobile phone. Mass Text Messaging works like this:

11/03/2010

Apps have already changed the way we user our mobile phones. Up next? The way we drive:

Smartphone apps connected to electric vehicles will let us track charging levels and control certain vehicle functions. And when it comes to the in-car experience, our cars will be able to communicate with our mobile devices effectively thanks to built-in software and apps.

VentureBeat has put together a list of five apps already out there. Our favorite?

Nissan’s Leaf iPhone App: Nissan is gearing up to unleash the Leaf— the first mass-produced, all-electric car — in a handful of states in the US this December, and the company is also releasing an iPhone application alongside it. The application will let Leaf owners remotely view the battery life left on their car, as well as the time required and approximate cost to recharge it.

Owners will also be able to remotely detect the internal temperature of their Leaf, as well as turn on heat or air-conditioning. The functionality is no different from a typical remote starter, but the added temperature reading information could help you decide if it’s worth spending the extra juice to pre-heat, or pre-cool, your Leaf.